Padres' Latino program faces rocky road

At the end of August 2008, the San Diego Padres brought three young players from Latin America to Petco Park for a workout in front of coaches and local media. The players -- pitcher Adys Portillo, shortstop Alvaro Aristy and outfielder Luis Domoromo -- all had signed with the team for expensive bonuses in July, and the workout was to be a showcase, a culminating event to show off the Padres' new commitment in Latin America.

Before their signings, the Padres had been little more than bit players in the Latino market. At the start of spring training in 2008, none of the 64 players in the Padres' big league camp hailed from the Dominican Republic -- an astonishing fact considering that Dominicans comprise about 13 percent of major league players. But after building a new $8 million baseball academy in the Dominican and doling out more than $5 million in bonuses for players from Latin America later that season, the Padres were primed to be players on the international market.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jorge Aranguré

Jorge Aranguré Jr. is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. He joined ESPN in May 2007 after spending three years as a baseball writer for The Washington Post. Previously, he covered baseball for The Bergen Record, in Hackensack, N.J. Aranguré has a B.A. in history from the University of Southern California and a M.A. in journalism from Syracuse University. You can contact him at jorge.arangure@espn3.com or follow him on Twitter: @jorgearangure.

La Esquina: The Latin baseball blog

The rise of the Latino player in baseball has been well-documented: Last year, more than 150 major leaguers hailed from Spanish-speaking countries. But the players themselves haven't received as much coverage. We aim to change that with La Esquina Caliente (The Hot Corner, for you non-Spanish speakers), Insider's new blog devoted to all things involving Latino ballplayers. We'll follow the international amateur signing market and spotlight current Latino big leaguers. We'll also offer news and lighter, offbeat items. Think of it as your place to talk Latino baseball on the Web.